Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-02-23
,qlIe Labor Question.


From the New York Mechanical Engineer.
at late meeting Of the stockholders of
the Arrow Steamship Company, OF New
York, Mr.. Robert NJ. Fryer, engineer-in-
chief to the company, embodied his views on
ths labor question in a report to the compa-
ny, and these views are SO practical lly sound
that We are glad to put them or record
Labor hes been, is, and always will be,
tae basis Of this company's prosperity, ana
| the higher the character OF the labor per.
! formed. or service rendered for this compa-
Dy, the greater viii be the result and profit
! to ls collectively.
Hence, il is to our indi2idual interest to
take ali practicable measures to win the iu-
| teiirently interested 60 operation cf labor,
in ali tending 70 the advancement of our en-
terprise. Perfuuctory service is seldom
good half hearted labor never Il. There
are three considerations that l deem due
to the laboring man, in whatever depart
ment his toll may be giyen-three rights
that belong to him. The first is, that undue
and exhaustive hours of labor shall not be
required Of him the second, that his labor
shall be 50 amply compensated that he and
mis- family may live in comfort, and with
proper frugality, accumulate competency
for his declining years, or provision Tor
those dependent upon hin the third, that
be shall have assurance OF advancement
and improved conditions of life SIS q reward
for willing, intelligent and Conscientious SER
vice. as an incentive 10 call forth his best
| cndeavors.
"The distinction between skilled and
| common labor is great, and should be, but
the definitions are not altogether accurate
when they are made to apply to artisans or
| tYadesrasn rs skilled auc TO al other IS
common and comparatively valueless.
There is no laborso humble that tae element
| OF skill does not enter into determination
/ of the value Of the individual iaGorer, and it
| is but Just that tho recognition Of that ele-
ment ana not custom o9ly, should deter
niue the compensation OF labor. working
man, whether be has gone through the rud-
iments OF trade.laarnng o. not, Jas g right
| to expect Increase OF compensation Qropor-
tionatc to his usefulness 10 sny apaclty
! wherein he ssTVea.s Take irc.l him ne pros
! peCt Of increasing his per8oGai 5a.ue ny ad-
Yancing his capabilities aad demonstrating
| bis superior intelligence auG application,
and the tandeueg IS 10 encs reduce aim
! to the leVei Of hopeiess 7e.sic sic. II he
may not rise, he must at as p.o.eci him.
| self as far Is possible, eeai uoiaE forced
downward 10 hia end tJe f.;ms aesec!a-
tions, that, in eeif deisn&a, tx ;ae compen.
sation 10 be received lor jhs labor no and
his associates do
"Retes Of wages So established reduce 10
q common level aii ~hom they effect. Man
| ifest!y they cannot be fXe9 tae worth -oi
| The most skilled and competent man. nor
car their basis be TIE actual value 10 the
employer of those lesst skilitui and indus
| trious Theg sTe snpposed 10 be a5 mean
! between those point5. In iaci, ietg are less
| Few. If ane. m8n working for q living get
more than they should receive. earnestly
! hope lhat onr compaay m$y never have N
! it's employ any man who Is got q! least
worth the established rate OF wages for his
class of labor. II is customary 10 reward
the exceptional excellence ofa workman by
making him some sor5 Of foreman, in
which position ne receives increased COM
pensation Generally, good as its purpose
| ig. that step is blunder. The man. un-
ouestionabiy, deserves the increased com
peDsation, but it is his due, Is workman.
| and neither his interests nor those of hi5e en-
plover are best served ii eleVstiDg him to
! POSITION for which he is probably united aa
an excuse for according it to him. 1T by no
means follows that because man is an oZ'
! ceptionally skilltul mechanic he Will be a
rood foreman. Indeed, the qualifications
REQUIRED in the two fields of service are so
dissimiiar that they are seldom associated
in ose individual.
practical observation ana experience
demonstrate to my mind that the best re-
suits in the employment Of labor arc TO be
attained BY keeping men aslong as p0ssble
10 positions for which they manifest pecu-
liar capacity, and baslng their compensa
ton upon their actual worth ia those posi-
tions. increasing it as their value Increases.
without reference to the common scale o.
wages paid to the less competent employed
in similar labor. Il may very we'll be that
in this way individual workmeu may earn
more by their labor as mechanics than what
might be good pay for foremen. In al least
one field Of labor the propriety and justice
of rating compensation in this way is al
ready established 1t is by no means un-
common in the Offices Of the leading daily
Journals of New York to find reporters
whose weekly earnings are greater than the
salary of the city editors who give them or
ders, supervise their work, and practically
stand in the relation of foreman to them. II
that system serves well in the regulation OF
journalistic work, it seems TO me more than
probable that it would be found admirably
effective in the management Of the very
large force Of high-class labor that ouF COM
pany will be called Npon TO employ. Jhe
earliest and widest application of the prin
ciples 10 practical work will, Of conrse, be
in our shipyard, in the construction Of the
'Pocahontas and her sister vessels, bus i
have no doubt that their solidity and ben
eft will there be so effectively demonstrated
that they will be accepted rs basis ot or-
| raniZation when the Tim y co1y,pS % man and